Various different systems and devices are known in the art for grasping or recovering satellites or other objects in space. Such systems typically comprise relatively complex robotic devices or mechanisms that operate from an orbital platform such as a utility or service satellite, a spacecraft, a space station, or the like. Such complex known systems are thus extremely expensive to design, build and operate, as well as difficult to operate and maintain. There is a need for a simplified, robust, and more-economical apparatus for grasping objects in space.